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Health – Cognitive abilities

Investigation into the influence on cognitive abilities of EMFs from mobile telephones. The study participants were exposed to controlled EMFs as could be expected in a normal telephone conversation for 30 minutes, during these 30 minutes cognitive tests on reaction, attentiveness, concentration and working memory were carried out. Source: www.pharma.uzh.ch

Under the term cognitive abilities one understands in general the mental ability or performance, such as:

Attentiveness

Memory

Learning

Planning

Orientation

In humans, these cognitive abilities are based primarily on speech. Instinct, reflexes, emotions, feelings, intuition, creativity and habits are frequently differentiated from cognition.

The influence of electromagnetic fields

In order to investigate possible effects of EMFs on cognitive abilities studies on both animals and humans have been made. Specialised methods of testing were used such as reaction tests in the human experiments and labyrinth tests in the animal tests. Cognitive performance could be recorded with an electroencephalogram (Electroencephalogram (Electroenzephalogram (EEG))). The aim thereby is to find out whether, where and how EMFs influence cerebral activity and the functions connected to it.

In particular, the short term effect of high frequency EMFs from mobile telecommunications (handsets and base stations) have been investigated in recent years. Short term means a time period of minutes up to several hours. Long term studies are not yet available. The results until now are inconsistent. Some studies suggest that exposure to EMFs emanating from mobile communications can lead to an improvement of attentiveness and memory. Other studies, however, identified no effects or also an impairment of the cognitive powers. The diversity of the results cannot yet be scientifically explained. Undoubtedly different methodical approaches in the individual studies play a role.

It is important to stress here that the influences detected constitute no health risks. All the effects are comparatively subtle and lay within the natural fluctuations or the daily form. The German Commission on Radiological Protection stresses that no detrimental effects on health were present amongst any of the documented effects.

Conclusions

There are indications that a short term effect from EMFs emanating from mobile communications can influence the cognitive abilities. However, the results until today are not consistent, indeed they are sometimes contradictory. No effects on health have been identified. Regarding ELF magnetic fields, overall the available evidence points towards absence of effects on cognition.

The Swiss Research Foundation for Electricity and Mobile Communication (FSM) is a non-profit-making foundation with the purpose of promoting scientific research into the chances and risks of radio and electric power technologies that produce and use electromagnetic fields.